HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-06-11, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2009.
People working or interested in
the county’s tourism industry had
the chance to learn more about the
challenges and opportunities out
there at a Huron Tourism
Association special event in Blyth
last Thursday night.
Bill Allen, a former deputy-
minister of culture, now president of
Tourism Industry Association of
Ontario, spoke on the report issued
by the provincial government in
February. Led by Greg Sorbara, the
report focused on the
competitiveness of tourism and laid
out 20 recommendations to help the
industry grow.
In an interview prior to his speech,
Allen explained what has been
implemented and what tools those in
the industry need to be aware of. At
the top, he said, is the formation of
11 tourist regions in Ontario.”
“There has been a lot of debate on
whether these are needed, what
value would be added,” he said,
adding that 15 meetings were held
across the province.
“I expect we will be hearing the
perspective on this.”
Allen said that in the budget funds
have been earmarked to be directed
to regional associations. “So that’s
immediately a critical issue. Now
they’re trying to sort out the mandate
and the associations’ role.”
Allen said that there are currently
local groups in Huron to market and
promote and there is a question as to
whether these will continue.
“However, these associations are not
intended to take over or absorb
existing groups. But it begs the
question what will they do, and we
don’t have the answer yet.”
Allen said TIAO hopes to sit down
with government representatives and
“hopefully influence what the
regional associations will do.”
“We don’t want duplication. We
don’t want a level of bureaucracy
that gets in the way.”
Another recommendation that
Allen highlighted was the attraction
of investment to local tourism. “It’s
been a lot of time since money has
come to tourism.”
The time is here to renew, refresh
and reinvent the industry, he said,
noting that without it, visitors soon
take a “been there, done that”
attitude. “We need to inject more money in
the industry, to offer something
different to keep people returning.”
The recommendations are a fair
balance of urban and rural focus.
“They may lean one way or another,
but are generally independent of
location. Some do focus on
government-owned tourist places,
which tend to be urban, but
otherwise they are very generic.”
Allen also offered the importance
of a long-term perspective for an
industry that tends to have a short-
term focus. “They will worry about
how many heads they have in the
beds for this night, but one thing the
study revealed is the need for long-
term vision. Without it, you will tend
to react to what’s happening in the
market.”
Allen shared some views on what
was in store for the tourism industry
this year, with many people worried
about the impact of the soft
economy.
“We can speculate, and obviously
we’re hoping for the best, but the
reality is that in a soft economy,
globally, people will travel less.”
There is a silver lining to this
perhaps, he added. “What it means is
that visitors outside the province
might be down in numbers, but on
the plus side, there will be more
Ontarians travelling in Ontario.”
The result is that as an industry
there should be more of a focus on
the domestic market. “This year,
there will still be marketing outside
the province, but we will be putting
a lot of emphasis on keeping
Ontarians in Ontario.”
TIAO president discusseschallenges, opportunities
BILL ALLEN
HTA guest speaker
Time to read
Robert Laycox, 10, of Seaforth, enjoys a book while
waiting at the annual Blyth Festival book sale held this
past weekend. (Vicky Bremner photo)
By Bonnie GroppThe Citizen
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